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Public Defenseless

Anyone paying attention can tell you that our criminal legal system is perpetuating cruelty and harm, but the complexity of the legal world overwhelms most people simply trying to get through another day. Public Defenseless explores the rot in the justice system and what we can do about it. Join host, Hunter Parnell, as he interviews top defense attorneys and criminal justice stakeholders from across the country as they pull apart the convoluted web of our criminal justice system.

government politics

All Episodes

57:21

522 | After Nearly Two Decades as an Immigration...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/10/06

On this episode, Hunter speaks with Judge Mimi Tsankov, former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ). Over nearly two decades on the bench, she served under five administrations and led the association that speaks for the country's immigration judges. Now she joins the show to explain what's broken in a court system that answers to the Justice Department, and why she decided to leave. Guest: Judge Mimi Tsankov, Former President, National Association of Immigration Judges

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01:00:36

521 | How the Media is Missing What is Really Causing...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/10/01

In this episode, Hunter speaks with two criminal defense lawyers and former Public Defenders from the state of Alaska, Amanda Harber and David Case. For the entire 21st Century, the Alaska Legal System has been in a crisis. Too few lawyers. Too much space to cover. And recently, a tough on crime Governor who has pushed to solve social problems with incarceration. Along the way, many in the media have missed what is causing the Alaska legal system to fail. Guest: Amanda Harber, Criminal Defense

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01:05:18

520 | Can Prisons be Reformed? What History Tells Us...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/30

On this episode, Hunter was joined by C.J. Ciaramella of Reason Magazine. Recently, C.J. authored an article for Reason that provides an overview of different eras of prison policy and failed reform. In their discussion, Hunter and C.J. explore these eras of prison policy, the reasons why reforms failed, and what those failures tell us about the hope for future prison reforms. Guest: C.J. Ciaramella, Reporter, Reason Magazine Resource: Read the Article Here

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01:19:43

519 | How the Maryland Defender Union is Organizing...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/29

On this episode, Hunter speaks with three members of the Maryland Defender Union, Rachel Kierfer, Alexis Rossetti, and Kalia Woods. They join to explain the recent victory the union secured to enforce their current contract and how the union is finding its voice to fight for better pay and workloads. Guest: Rachel Kiefer, Assistant Public Defender, Baltimore County, Maryland Alexis Rossetti, Assistant Public Defender, Southern Maryland Kalia Woods, Administrative Aide, Prince George's County,

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01:03:01

518 | Did the Supreme Court Finally Ensure the Fourth...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/24

On this episode, Hunter speaks once again by Professor Andrew Ferguson to discuss the Fourth Amendment and the right to privacy. Previously, Hunter spoke with Jumana Musa of the Fourth Amendment Center to discuss the recent Supreme Court case of Chatrie v United States. Now, Andrew and Hunter theorize how this case might be used to further protect our data in this digital age. Guest: Andrew Ferguson, Professor of Law, GW School of Law Resource: Read Chatrie

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01:02:20

517 | Did the Supreme Court Finally Ensure the Fourth...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/22

On this episode, Hunter speaks once again Jumana Musa, Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer's Fourth Amendment Center. Hunter and Jumana discuss the recent landmark case of Chatrie vs United States. In that case, the Supreme Court took a major step towards ensuring our data is protected by the Fourth Amendment. Guest: Jumana Musa, Director, Fourth Amendment Center, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Resource: Read Chatrie

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47:21

516 | Will a New Commission Finally Get California to...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/17

On this episode, Hunter spoke once again with Chesa Boudin. This time, the two discussed a new commission in California tasked with studying the best path forward for a state wide solution for Public Defense. Guest: Chesa Boudin, Executive Director, UC Berkeley Law's Criminal Law and Justice Center Resource: Learn More About the Commission Here Follow Chesa's Work https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/criminal-law-and-justice-center/ Contact Hunter Parnell: Publicdefenseless@gmail.com

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54:48

515 | How Public Defense is Failing in Rural...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/15

In this episode, Hunter speaks with Rio Scharf and Josh Schwartz to discuss a report detailing the incredible failing of public defense in rural California. Guest: Rio Scharf, Staff Attorney, UC Berkeley Law's Criminal Law and Justice Center Josh Schwartz, Principal, Wren Collective Resource: Read the Report Here: https://wrencollective.org/contracted-to-fail-part-2-how-flat-fee-contracts-undermine-the-right-to-counsel-in-california/ Contact Hunter Parnell:

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01:01:53

514 | How the Prison System fails to Offer Second...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/10

In this episode, Hunter speaks with Jesse Crosson about his book The Best Part of Prison: The Power of Second Chances and Reclaiming Life Out of Darkness. Jesse spent nearly 20 years incarcerated for a robbery and non-fatal shooting. Now, he is describing his journey through the legal system, how he was able to get back on his feet, and how our current approach to giving people a second chance is woefully failing. Guest: Jesse Crosson, Author, The Best Part of Prison: The Power of Second Chances

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54:02

513 | How to Teach Kids to Think like a Public...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/08

In this episode, Hunter speaks once again with Emily Galvin Almanza about a new book she is publishing. While her last book sought to teach adults about the failings of our criminal legal system, Emily's newest book, Andromeda Diaz and the Reasonable Doubt, is aimed at teaching kids about legal principles through a public defender's lens. In doing so, Emily hopes to instill a different type of civic education in schools around the country. Guest: Emily Galvin Almanza, Co-Founder and Executive

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01:01:51

512 | How Public Advocacy Secured Missouri Public...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/03

In this episode, Hunter revisits with Matthew Crowell, Director of the Missouri State Public Defender, and for the first time Jet McDonald, MSPD's newest Comms Strategist. They discussed how Matthew was able to use public and private advocacy to secure desperately needed pay raises for the system and their plans to continue expanding their public advocacy to fight for even more improvements to the system. Guest: Matthew Crowell, Director, Missouri State Public Defender Jet McDonald,

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01:09:16

511 | God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/09/01

On this episode, Hunter spoke with Jasper Crave, author of the book God Forgives, Brothers Don't: The Long March of Military Education and the Making of American Manhood. While this episode takes us away from the world of Public Defense, this conversation is an illuminating look at how military education like JROTC, ROTC, and the Service Academies help shape American masculinity. By understanding the culture inculcated at these institutions, we are better able to understand how that hyper violent

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01:11:08

510 | What are a Defense Lawyer's Ethical Obligations...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/27

On this episode, Professor Mason Clark joins to discuss a new white paper he authored for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers titled Parity in Practice: The Defender's Duty to Ethically Use AI. Guest: Mason Clark, Associate Professor of Law, St. Mary's School of Law, Texas Resource: Read the Report Here https://www.nacdl.org/Document/ParityinPracticeDefenderAIUse Contact Mason Here https://law.stmarytx.edu/academics/faculty/mason-clark/ Contact Hunter Parnell:

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01:04:08

509 | How to Create Workload Standards for Public...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/25

Since the release of the National Public Defender Workload Study, Malia Brink travelled the country helping Public Defenders create and implement workload standards. Now, she joins the show to discuss the new tool the Deason Center created to help Public Defenders create their own workload standards. Guest: Malia Brink, Policy Director, Deason Criminal Justice Reform Center, Southern Methodist University Resource: Deason Center Website

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01:06:10

508 | Will Underfunding Push the Defenders...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/20

In the last budget cycle, Keisha Hudson, Chief Defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, asked the city for $5 million. Instead, the city council and the mayor gave her office $0. Now, Keisha is looking at cutting back client services and even potentially refusing to accept new DUI and drug possession cases. On this episode, you will hear Keisha explain how this all happened and what comes next for the office. Guest: Keisha Hudson, Chief Public Defender, Defender Association of

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01:25:04

507 | Robin "Rocky" Myers was Wrongfully Convicted of...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/18

The State of Alabama sentenced Robin "Rocky" Myers to death after he was convicted of murder in 1994. Over the next 30 years, Rocky fought to prove his innocence, and with each passing year, the evidence of his innocence continued to grow. There was a lack of DNA evidence. Inconsistent witness testimony. Police and Prosecutorial misconduct. On top of all that, there were serious problems with the verdict itself. Taken together, these factors pushed Governor Kay Ivey to commute Rocky's death

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01:08:50

506 | Pink Crime: How to Fight the Criminalization of...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/13

Hunter is joined once again by Professor Valena Beety. Valena joins the show to discuss her new book, Pink Crime: Fighting Against the Criminalization of Motherhood, Pregnancy, and Queer Identity. In it, she discusses the cognitive biases, junk sciences, and the systemic policies used to surveil, police, and incarcerate women and queer communities. Guest: Valena Beety, Professor of Law, Indiana School of Law Resource: Pick up a Copy of the Book Here https://thenewpress.org/books/pink-crime/

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56:09

505 | Will Automation Make it Harder to Keep Junk...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/11

Hunter is joined once again by Professor Lisa Waters to discuss her law review article, Automating Junk Science. In it, Lisa details a troubling trend where police officers are using automated technology to "verify" that gun matches a bullet found at the scene of a crime. The only problem? The underlying tool mark science is complete junk. How can defenders respond to this automation of Junk Science? Lisa offers a few insights. Guest: Lisa Waters, Professor of Law, CUNY School of Law, New York

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01:02:21

504 | By Helping Victims and Perpetrators, Domestic...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/06

Hunter is joined by Liz Ortenburger, the CEO of Safe Nest. Liz and her team at Safe Nest operate a shelter and aid center for victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. As Liz sees it, the conventional approach to domestic violence, policing and incarceration, is simply insufficient to end the cycles of violence that lead to domestic violence. Liz joined the show to discuss the different approach Safe Nest takes to try and eradicate domestic violence. Guest: Liz Ortenburger, CEO, Safe Nest,

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01:08:34

503 | Why is the NDS Union on Strike? UPDATE THEY...

Public Defenseless ·

2026/08/04

Breaking news: As the evening of Aug 4, the NDS Union won a contract!! Hunter is joined by Ashley Munger, Katherine Shamsie, and Samantha Rudelich of the NDS Union. The union, representing NDS Harlem, NDS Detroit, and NDS Texas, have been on strike. Hunter sits down with them to discuss why they went on strike, what they hope to accomplish, and what management needs to do to end this strike. Guest: Ashley Munger, Staff Attorney, Criminal Division, NDS Detroit Katherine Shamsie, Staff

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